The United Nations has warned that life is becoming increasingly difficult in remote parts of Afghanistan as a deepening humanitarian crisis, driven by drought, food insecurity, and a severe funding shortfall, continues to affect millions across the country.

According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), nearly 22 million people in Afghanistan require humanitarian assistance, while the organization’s $1.7 billion appeal for 2026 has received only 14 percent of the funding needed.

Aid workers say prolonged drought and water scarcity have devastated rural communities, forcing many families to abandon their homes and livelihoods. In Bamyan province, one of the country’s hardest-hit regions, residents have reported widespread crop failures due to a lack of water for irrigation.

Olga Cherevko, an OCHA official, said some villages have been left nearly deserted as families migrate in search of better living conditions.

“This particular village (in Bamyan province) that I went to, they told me that around half of the population had left, actually, because there’s simply no water to irrigate the lands, and so all the crops that they were growing, they dried up,” Cherevko told UN News. “People who could leave, they left.” 

Those who remain often lack the resources to relocate and face severe hardship. Cherevko recalled meeting a father of nine whose family was surviving on a soup made from potato peelings.

The crisis is particularly severe for children. The United Nations estimates that 3.7 million Afghan children are suffering from acute malnutrition, with many cases going undetected until it is too late. Aid workers have reported instances where children died because parents were unaware of the signs of malnutrition and delayed seeking treatment.

Despite financial constraints, humanitarian agencies continue to provide assistance. Between January and April this year, aid partners reached 5.9 million people with at least one form of support, including 3.5 million people who received food assistance.

However, the United Nations has warned that without significantly increased international funding, millions of Afghans will remain vulnerable to worsening hunger, poverty, and displacement in the months ahead.

The Embassy of the State of Qatar in Kabul held a roundtable discussion on Afghanistan’s relations with the international community, bringing together representatives from the United Nations and Afghanistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The meeting was attended by Georgette Gagnon, Acting Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Political Affairs, as well as Scott Smith, Head of UNAMA’s Political Affairs Division.

The Afghan side was represented by Zakir Jalaly, Head of the Second Political Division at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Abdul Hai Qanit, Director of the Strategic Studies Center at the ministry.

According to a statement issued by the Qatari Embassy, discussions focused on the future of Afghanistan’s relations with the international community and explored ways to support and strengthen those ties.

The roundtable reflects ongoing diplomatic efforts to encourage dialogue and engagement on Afghanistan’s international relations amid evolving regional and global dynamics.